Obi A-Z Short Stories
by LichtNoirCielKuro
Summary: A series of short stories of Obi's past and of course his on-going adventures with Shirayuki, Zen, Mitsuhide, Kiki... Canon compliant in some aspects but is a work of headcannons and therefore may have non-canon aspects as well as original characters. This work might also contain darker themes due to assassinations and violence, manually censor if you may.
1. Chapter 1: Astute

**A** stute

Unsurprising to his alluded ex-occupations, Obi held an impeccable grasp on battle situations. With his swift reconnaissance, silent presence and not to mention his astounding memory for detail, Obi had almost full control of all situations even before the event or altercation happened. Many a time, as situations seem to exacerbate, or plans went awry, Obi magicked up valuable information like a magician pulling a trick out of a hat.

However, what surprised Zen in a way that he shouldn't have been, was the fact that Obi was a good diplomat. In fact, not just good, he was a marvel at this expertise. Obi held a cheerful demeanor that charmed most if not all, also he was tactful in his words-quick to please yet in an intellectual manner. Furthermore, for all his distaste for propriety and formality, he was strangely suited for it when called for it. He balanced it gracefully even, with his casual appearance which endeared him to the common folk while retaining his elegant speech. He was able to play the part of a royal's aide, with his intelligent words, wit and most notably politeness. It actually wasn't hard to tell, as Obi was always addressing him as Master and the most gentlemanly when treating Shirayuki.

He was most useful for not only interrogation but also negotiation.

Zen remembered an incident clearly, whereby their party consisting of himself, Shirayuki, Mitsuhide, Kiki and Obi was sent to rectify a fief which was exploiting the people's taxes. When they were riding through the village, they saw many places of poverty: old houses about to fall apart, children and adults alike on the streets. The people there were not happy and mostly indignant of their plight, things almost took to a bad turn when the people started to gather and confront them. However, as Kiki and Mitsuhide were geared up to at least face an attack of sorts, Obi basically flitted over to the villagers. Taking in his hand some perfume from a stall set-up, he inhaled a whiff and enthusiastically beckoned them over.

 _"Master, this will be a good present for Shirayuki, it's smells heavenly. Maybe some of the palace staff may want some too? They were complaining of the humid weather and this can be used as a air freshener, it's so much like spring!"_

Zen immediately caught on to the seemingly whimsical actions of his messenger, beckoning over the stall owner and ordering 10 dozen bottles to be packed for them to bring back for the palace. The crisis was averted as the villagers saw them to be more than royalty who came to remedy their plight with sneers and empty words instead. Therefore, Obi's senses were highly attuned and receptive to such situations were apparent and hinted his shady and less-than-glorious past.

Afterwards, when they arrived at the lord's castle, Zen was met with condescension and dismissal. Shirayuki with her friendly and exuberant demeanor managed to throw the man, Lord Hibiki off kilter while his aides managed to stare him down into at least serving them with a modicum of respect. Obi managed to sweep his formal dress coat and address the lord with a respectful yet threatening manner. His eyes glittered with an dangerous aura, as he presented the intel he gathered of the lord in a formal and flat manner. And then he suddenly switched over to his usual persona, speaking in a cheerful tone of how he could remedy the lord's personal problem of the bandits hounding his house for money with the threat of his people's lives.

Lord Hibiki was caught like a deer in headlights. His jaw was agape while a blush creeped onto his high cheekbones, mortified with his incompetence and stunned into silence. Obi then went on to lay out the lord's options in a highly persuasive and meandering manner, bringing the lord to attention and almost compliance. When the lord regained his composure and was about to ask for more details, Obi timely passed the reins back to Zen to assert his authority and his thoughts on the matter. This was done so smoothly and subtly that the earlier tense atmosphere was dispelled and almost forgotten.

The matter was solved simply with Zen's swift and logical solutions to the lord's problems, chiding the lord for his unnecessary pride and stupidity in handling the situation. Kiki subsequently provided the necessary paperwork, tidying up the last of the matter. As such, Lord Hibiki was suitably humbled and grateful for the party's intervention. They then digressed into more casual matters and the matter they solved faded to the back of their minds.

What that wasn't forgotten, however, was the party's appraisal of Obi's astute handling of the matter. As the servant he was, he held himself in check of his position while impressing on the other figure of authority his master's dominance with his own recognized skills. The lord's change of attitude was so apparent and unexpected that it shed light on Obi's way of words, rapidly targeting yet subtly prodding the target's intended response. Thus, he showed his hand at manipulating the situation with his words and not only his battle wit.

When asked about how he handled the situation so well, Obi just gave his usual shoulder shrug before starting to ramble jovially again, _"I just did what I could. It's actually quite easy, as you have noticed Lord Hibiki was actually hiding behind a haughty front, his household also seem rather sparse...thus he must have also been a victim of some sort… Also...Lord Hibiki bought the local's perfume so he must have good taste...By the way, master do you think the perfume is ready for collection? Let's have lunch first, Little Miss are you hungry?…"_

The rest of the party boggled by Obi's transition from insightful revelation to some of his more inane comments, just agreed heartily while amused smiles were painted on their faces as Obi's animated conversation started sweeping them up into his own tempo again.


	2. Chapter 2: Blades

**B** lades

Obi was adept at many kinds of blades. The party knew this from the start but was beginning to realize the true extent of it.

The kunai was his most used weapon, appearing whenever they were cornered by bandits and attacked by assassins. His blades were thrown unerringly into their enemies, striking true and deep and saving them at the nick of time. Many a time when they had difficulties handling the onslaught, Obi was above them, swooping down in a flurry of knives before joining in hand-to-hand combat.

The bow while containing an arrow was also a sort of blade that Obi had immense talent in. As shown from his introduction to the party, his arrow shot right into the crevice in the wall informs of Shirayuki, asserting his prowess in weaponry. Obi's talent in the bow was also undeniable and obvious to those who know of him.

However, they realized that Obi was not untrained in the sword as they thought he was. The sword was a traditional weapon that was normal only in contact for those who were of noble of royal descent. Pirates did of course use blades, but those blades were not used in the style that the nobles were trained in as such generally less disciplined to wield the sword. Obi, however, held hints of formal training, he had the appropriate stance that was ingrained in Zen, Mitsuhide and Kiki alike. Also, he was more than capable of manipulating a sword even with the unexpected realization that he was accustomed or at least familiar to the sword clasp at his side.

 _"Master, the nobles are staging a coup! I will hold them off here, please find Little Miss."_

A neglected fief in trying to be acknowledged was trying to intimidate the royals into attention and resources. The nobles unlike bandits and pirates had formal training in the sword, and that was when the prowess Obi had with the sword was witnessed a second time. The first being the time where he bested Zen to become the bodyguard of Shirayuki's trip to Tanbarun. Obi held a flowing grace when he fought against the nobles, crippling them in a swift and practical way that was the main deviation from the way of the sword of the nobles. His sword was sharper and more horned as compared to the nobles who lived relatively sheltered lives. He parried their attacks with the formal steps of their training which place on par with them and managed to add his own flair of speed and agility into the fight, making it a sight to behold. Kiki and Mitsuhide fighting alongside him also could not resist a glance or two when his sword flicked in graceful arcs to incapacitate but not kill the nobles.

Despite these impressive skills, Obi was the sharpest blade, his hand-to-hand capabilities acknowledged and lauded by both Zen and his aides was a testament to his fighting capabilities. Obi had the flexibility and agility of a gymnast, his kicks and punches snapping sharply to hit on his opponents, poised to strike, balanced and refined. He was a weapon to be feared, he held the marks and battle scars of his blades he possessed. The fraying edges of his kunai, the wilting fletching of his arrows was merely tip of his weapon his body.

He is a beautiful weapon and so are his blades. However, his blades were not mere weapons they were also bringers of life and not just death. Obi's mastery over his blades has transcended over martial arts into arts. As Obi was with the party, they realized he would sit down at the side or on a tree branch carving out a wooden figurine. The artful strokes, belied the strength of his punches but outlined his gentleness and precision. The wooden planks or material he found on the roadsides could so easily be transformed into lifelike figurines of animals. Perhaps, it was due to his wild personality, the animals he carved held a sense of beauty and also fierceness and savagery. Whenever the party witnessed his partake in his own form of art making they were thoroughly impressed. Obi was also not unwilling to share, bestowing these figurines as casual gifts to them. They were tokens of kind gestures and art pieces to be cherished.

 _The blade was not only a weapon, a weapon may not only be a blade._


	3. Chapter 3: Charm

**C** harm

Obi held an inexplicable charm that draws in people of all walks of lives and ages, even animals. Perhaps it was because of the dangerous yet warm aura that he possessed...

 **Shirayuki**

Her first encounter with Obi was when he was in the midst of informing the guards of her requested departure and subsequently, him chasing after her to threaten her to get out of Zen's life. She can't deny that he did scare her then but her determination shone through and all she could think of was getting to Zen so as to iron things out.

However, now that she thought back on it, the immediate second encounter was when he helped her in the herb gardens. He made her feel comfortable in his presence and even gave her the sense that he was rather shy, covering his face with such discretion. She couldn't help but find his actions rather endearing, and Ryuu's warming up to him made her unconsciously relax as they picked the requested herbs.

Shirayuki was kind but by no means gullible or ignorant, the fact that he managed to gain her favor so quickly after the assassination attempt, showed that he held something that managed to buy her heart. And that something she realized was his kind heart.

The aftermath of the attempt showed just how of a freelancer he was, merely working under orders with no personal allegiance or motive. However, unlike the typical mercenaries he was willing to step up to take responsibility for the lord he served even temporarily. It seemed that he had noticed the importance of his employer's status as well as understood his misguided attempts to do his protection of the prince.

As such, his kindness was something Shirayuki saw and was able to personally experience the more she interacted with him.

 **Ryuu**

Ryuu is a young boy who has lived a rather secluded life apart from his herbs and medicine. Still a fresh face but not so innocent as one might think as he is exposed to relied upon for his medical expertise in life threatening illnesses. Obi's addition into his life made his life that much more colorful and interesting.

Obi was mysterious, with his undisclosed past, his rather eccentric mannerisms and yet his genuine interest and curiosity in even Ryuu's herbs placed him in Ryuu's good books. Obi had a sense of curiosity that made him a wonderful listener, also he was smart and able to keep up with Ryuu in a way that even he was challenged with the angles that Obi took on many problems.

Besides, having Obi as an intellectual companion, he gave Ryuu a window of opportunity to see the outside. Before, Ryuu had not travelled much even outside of the apothecary, now even if he did not Obi would bring him little trinkets of the places he visited.

Ryuu was in fact rather conflicted over the fact that he was now very much attracted to the outside whereas he was uninterested previously. He seemed as a rather apathetic individual, and perhaps that was not so as he was starting to find interest in many of the stories Obi had shared and the trinkets he brought back. Ryuu started the habit of keeping and cleaning and also researching on all the Obi brought back.

Obi was mysterious but maybe not so as he shared his present adventures enthusiastically to Little Ryuu. His fond hair ruffles and teasing just cemented the fact that he was a brother figure that he have not had before.

 **Kiki**

Kiki was a very vigilant and guarded aide even among the elites as those in her line of jobs should be. However, for some reason even she was swayed by Obi's genuine care of Zen, Shirayuki and his acquaintances. Such a dangerous force he was not to be reckoned.

At first sight, Kiki felt his domineering presence, he was silent when he wanted to be and at the first instant she sensed him, she was very much alerted by the threat he posed. She came to be more guarded as she realized that even Mitsuhide was warming up to him, wanting to the person of reason and not emotionally compromised she became more guarded around him.

With his affable attitude, cheerful gestures, it made him more dangerous and unsuspecting. However, she realized that her worry was almost unnecessary (preventive measures were for safety precaution regardless). Obi protected those that he worked for as fiercely as he could, with his life for those that he cared for.

His sense of loyalty brought her a sense of safety, she still has no idea what impressed upon her so deeply but for now she was going to go with it. Despite, the fact that she might as well be walking into a insidious trap, she believed that his loyalty will draw her acquaintance to him. The methods he will go to protect, the blood and sweat he will shed for them and the scars she see inflicted on him will draw the whole party's affection to him.

With her intuition, she realized this development was was inexorable and she was not stupid enough to defy it to no avail.


	4. Chapter 4: Delirious

**D** elirious

Shirayuki was in attendance of a diplomat meeting with one of the Southern lords. They were the nobles which were the closest to the royals, as intrinsically involved in the matters as the royals are.

Shirayuki for all her kindness and exuberance seemed to attract the worst of people. Envy, jealousy and possession were all vices that appeared from various prominent and even kind-hearted people. They were unable to comprehend her allure and most importantly her dedication and determination in her work. As such, many misguided staff was against Shirayuki's presence around Zen and wanted to rectify the threat they saw privately.

This diplomatic meeting was actually held with the intent to introduce her and prove her worth to those nobles. Prince Izana with his foresight and hidden or perhaps obscured kind-hearted side even ordered for Zen's messenger, Obi to accompany her to complete this task.

Thus, Shirayuki and Obi undertook this task, heading towards the fief with much determination. Obi was once again dressed in formal clothes, consisting of a black coat and even a decorated sword at his side. Shirayuki has packed a rose coloured dress to accent her hair and eye color, she also wore a hair clip that Zen gave her- a diminutive rose with a jewel embedded in it.

All in all, Shirayuki was much prepared for the diplomatic talk and Obi was just as much prepared to step in if things went awry. On the road, they chatted casually about the many stalls and food they have seen past the carriage they rode. Obi had complied to riding it as this time neither his master or the two aides were available to accompany her in the carriage though he still hopped from time to time onto the back of the leading horse instead.

When they reached the massive compound, they were greeted to nobles true their form. They were introduced to a pair of twins who were immaculately dressed with not an obsidian lock out of place, bowing with utmost precision and politeness. Obi and Shirayuki as such returned the bows and greetings formally before being brought to the quarters they would be staying at.

Obi with the years of experience and maybe survival instincts, did his usual scouting even after they were left to their dorms. He could tell that something was amiss as their attendants were too polite and even amicable to them, judging from the skeptical and even disapproving mindsets they held about Shirayuki.

As they were called to attend lunch, he realised that the servants had served up a peculiar drink, it was tea but he could detect the taste of watered wine. With his sense of danger fully alerted, he exaggeratedly brought the teapot over to his side and grabbed onto Shirayuki's cup playfully. Managing to spill the contents of the cup and initiating the Little Miss's words of concern and dismissal over the spilt tea, he went on to finish his cup. He figured that since they still had days of residence even if they wanted to target Shirayuki they would be satisfied with the incapacitation of her guard first.

However, his tolerance for poison, drugs were alike that of his alcohol tolerance which made them pretty much impotent. As such he knew that the effect would at least not debilitate him as much as a normal person would. He would alert Shirayuki later so that she will be more cautious. With that in mind, he quickly finished his lunch and brought Shirayuki back to their rooms.

Shirayuki had a sharp mind and thus already guessed that Obi had spilled her tea on purpose. Gathering that he had something to share she went willingly to listen to his report. Shirayuki's response was as he anticipated, she was adamant on not notifying Zen till it was absolutely necessary so as not to worry him and she subsequently assuring him that she knew that he would protect her well.

Hearing her kind words, Obi couldn't help but preen at her praise but feel a stronger sense of responsibility. He would do his best to aide his Little Miss in her quest to be recognized and approved to be at his master's side.

Shirayuki managed to win over the nobles with her passionate presentation, touching them with her genuine care for Clarines and her expertise in herbs as she actually gifted them with a small trove of her personally gathered rare herbs. Obi was elated over this development, but his mind was preoccupied with the feeling of being slightly sick. It had been a long time since he had gotten sick at that was due to pneumonia and infection of his wounds back then.

Obi shook off any feeling of unease and carried on with his usual duties, trailing after Shirayuki. However, on the second week of their post to the Southern fief, he started sweating profusely and feeling faint and lethargic. Trying to brush off the illness to no avail, he had to confess to Shirayuki on coming down with a flu.

"Obi, you know that your health is important as well, please take good care of your own body!" Shirayuki half exclaimed in exasperation and gentle fondness over Obi's usual stubborn refusal to get treated for illness or dismissal of his wounds.

Obi scratched his head sheepishly, "I will Little Miss, it's most likely just a small bug, don't worry."

The next day, Obi was unable to get out of bed, trembling uncontrollably under his blankets, his breathing laboured and his skin coated in a sheen of sweat. Obi felt paralyzed, he literally had no feeling in his limbs and felt like him was consumed by a raging fire. When he woke up, his eye lids cracked open after much effort, feeling like they were crusted, dry yet teary, Obi tried to get up but failed. Heaving himself up with Herculean strength, he managed to stumble to the bathroom to wash his face and cleaning up before heading off to find Shirayuki.

Straightening his back as much as possible and cracking a smile, Obi managed to reach the library where Shirayuki was currently studying more baker the culture of this part of Clarines. Just as he was about to call out to her, his vision blurred and he fell, blacking out and hitting the ground with a dull thud. Shirayuki who was engrossed in her reading immediately looked up and saw Obi lying motionlessly on the floor. She promptly went to Obi and checked him over, she found that he was running a dangerously high fever and his eyes were dilated. Knowing that these were not good signs, she brought him to the healers with the help of two servants.

Obi was diagnosed as poisoned, Shirayuki knew of Obi's unique body constitution but was probably not as surprised as despite Obi's tolerance his great exposure to drugs might have triggered a reaction with the traces of different poisons in his bloodstream. Seeing Obi deteriorating to mumbling incoherent phrases, she was starting to get rather worried. As such, she sent a missive to Zen notifying him of Obi's sickness.

Obi was only lucid twice in the multiple times he woke up during the night, startling awake wrecked with horrible body shivers. His lucid moments was almost as scary as the sight of him lying pale and unbelievably vulnerable curled up in his blankets. The strong and infallible stature he held was shattered, as he started whimpering in his sleep.

The two times he was lucid, Obi held a looser tongue than normal, probably because the lords tried to give Shirayuki truth serum but messed up the dosage. In his delirium, he started mumbling in a startling cheerful manner some snippets of his past.

"Little Miss, don't worry this kind of poison won't harm me much...Did I tell you about that time when I was chased by these people after a tricky job ...all dressed in black...I… killed them...but they managed to chase me off a cliff…Haha, what a sight I must have been…."

The confessions of the people he killed and the horrors he faced, made Shirayuki nauseous. Obi evaded his past as much as possible and she knew it was not out of cowardice but more for their well-being and perhaps a little insecurity of the way they will look at him if he vocalises it. This unknowing revelation of his past made her heart ache that much more. And she knew even more strongly that he was strong and she admired him all the more for walking a path he chose.

As Obi fumbled around the blankets trying to seek something, Shirayuki calmly placed her hand in his grasp, gently soothing his black hair and singing him a lullaby to sleep. Obi was much like a cat, leaning against the gentle touches and his breaths started deepening into true sleep. Smiling gently, Shirayuki increased her gentle ministrations, reflecting on all the pain he suffered through.

Cats have nine lives after all, he will make it.

Obi indeed woke up about three days later with the whole gang with him, Zen, Kiki and Mitsuhide having arrived a day earlier. His fever finally broke, and he started to have cheerful conversation with the party again, despite his hoarse voice, everyone was happy to see him back to his old self.

Shirayuki and the rest now knew how strong Obi was. Strength was not in power but in the power to keep going on. The strength in choosing your own path after just surviving.


	5. Chapter 5: Elite

**E** lite

The elite are at the pinnacle of their expertise, basically the paragon of their job.

An elite soldier, had the pride of being the best, presented to the world as one basked in glory. An elite assassin on the other hand...

 _The best of the assassins have no name and too many names._ Obi went by a lot of names, in fact even his current one was an alias he has picked up. His real name was buried under the many of his aliases and near nonexistent as it never came up. He had trained himself to have many different personas, of course he had an inclination to the current cheerful one Obi had adopted. Obi, however, wasn't bothered over how frivolous having the many names he had seemed, he even found some of them cool, like the ones he used when winning money from fighting rings. "Nanaki" was one of his most used names when fighting, thus he gained recognition by name but never by identity.

 _The best assassins had a fight or flight instinct permanently ingrained in them._ When there was a fight, they would have assessed their winning rate and decided their course of action. Their mission is priority, and as such, they would take care of matters regarding their charge and if not flee from the scene so as to avoid unnecessary injury. Obi had impeccable timing in his rescues and his entrances, just in the nick of time when his friends were outnumbered or when there was a way to overturn the battle. He had been trained to enter with the optimal calculated route, knowing it's for both the safety of himself and his charges- his friends. He would choose to enter as quickly as possible in a fight, or wait it out so that they had higher chances of winning. It was not reasonable for an assassin to make hasty and careless decisions, patience was one attribute they honed in an ironic way to make the split second decision of fighting or fleeing.

 _Nothing was permanent in an assassin's life, much less an elite one._ Obi was long accustomed to having camaraderie, charges, colleagues being killed right in front of him or being protected by him from his life anyways. _"It was for the best"_ , he would mumble out loud, when he could bade farewell to those people who he cared about left. He was a traveler by heart but he knew he would probably not belong anywhere anyways. An elite assassin was sent to high ranking dangerous missions, that making it or breaking it might still ultimately result in their death. This mindset placed them at the highest efficiency, uncaring about themselves and carrying missions with the highest precision.

The scars he had were probably the only reminder he had of the events that happened. Everything else would have been erased with either the elimination of their targets, confidentiality threats and of course their hundred percent sweep of the scenes and tying of loose ends. The barren rooms, the resonating voices of laughter haunted a empty physical plane. The raised and puckered skin on Obi's ski, however, were reminders and stories of those people. They were the most permanent possessions of an assassin, after all what is an assassin without their body? So, as their body stays, it is their only possession.

 _Memories...are such fickle yet important pieces of an assassin's life._ Torture, traumatic experiences that an assassin that Obi was would have crippled a normal man many times over. The scars inflicted on him were done prettily nor fixed seamlessly, assassins were well aware of the insidious nature of mental and emotional attacks. They played with fire, manipulating others with such methods and exposing themselves to the burn of the others reciprocating the same treatment of them.

Obi especially, with his near eidetic placed him among the most valuable assassins. His work was done with more accuracy than most, and that was a double-edged sword. What he saw couldn't be unseen, he didn't want to unsee it anyways, but the burden it placed on the assassin was much higher, especially when the number of missions completed were not enumerable. As for the physical stress others vying for information will subject him to more straining torture, but mentally he was wrecked.

Assassins have no life, the good ones were mere shadows and phantoms. This changed for Obi as he entered the lives of Zen, Shirayuki, Kiki, Mitsuhide and many others. Their appearance brightened his dubious life, being able to get up close with them in such a beautiful and safe place was just unbelievable. And a sense of longing and love actually pained his heart when he saw them. He face lit up when he heard them call his name. He was happy to be of service as a friend and not just a tool. His life has just seen the first rays of sunshine, and he was enjoying every bit of it.

 _Even if he was a fool for choosing this life, he had no regrets._


	6. Chapter 6: Flight

**F** light

Cats were always an animal Obi was likened to. The feline grace he possessed, the supple acrobatics, and of course the sharp, predatory gaze of his golden eyes all led to that image of a prowling feline. His blades were his claws, his sly words his fangs were. His purrs were the sighs of contentment that appeared when he imbibed with fine wine or food with their company, his coyness was his cheerful and cheeky daily commentary. He wasn't temperamental but he definitely held the danger a big cat like a panther will possess.

However, the animal that Obi admired with the most were birds…

Ospreys, eagles, hawks, falcons… were all powerful birds of prey that many admired, for their beauty and strength. For Obi they were a symbol of freedom, even a sparrow served to be a source of inspiration, as they were able to fly in the sky, seemingly unrestrained or tethered to anything. Obi, however, was not delusional, he knew that he was not a bird, and neither was the ideal of being free a practical in a real world situation.

He got the next best physical substitute for the freedom of flying. _Riding_. Horse have always been Obi's favorite animal alongside dogs, faithful companions who had the power and intelligence to challenge their handler. Riding was thrilling and relaxing at the same time, just handing over the reigns to his stallion when he galloped through the meadows were a source of release. Tracking down a criminal, sweaty and disheveled, trotting through the woods gave another sense of excitement as well. Simply put, he felt at home on the bareback of a horse, unconstrained as compared to transport like carriages.

Feeling the breeze playing freely with his short strands of hair, the sting of the dust in the air, the waft of smells from either the weather or location were all things Obi enjoyed. But Obi realised that he had found freedom in his new friends as well.

The happiness he felt when in their delightful company, was as if he was released from the constraints of his past. He was not overly weighed down by his past, however, his heart felt lighter by being around them. The beautiful melody they have introduced to his life, felt like a birdsong. He felt like he crescendoed into a sort of climax in his life, soaring with his master, Little Miss and others in search of a higher purpose.

 _Perhaps tethering oneself to another, was a form of flight as well._


	7. Chapter 7: Gallows

**G** allows

Obi had many different partners during his time as an assassin, Torou was just one of them whom he had been repeatedly paired with on the most number of occasions.

Torou's first impression of Obi was when they were in a tavern, with a "discreet" meeting of their guild. Obi was chatting animatedly to a group of assassins notably of different ages (a mixture of those younger and older than) Obi himself who was barely into his teens. Torou was endeared to his charming and yet distant personality when she observed his affable while perfunctory polite conversion. Torou herself was not much older than Obi, however, she held herself which much more mature flirtatious tones when ingratiating herself to others. In fact, she often wondered why they were paired together, with their vast personality difference, and contemplated if that was the precise reason their missions went smoothly.

Torou held a brasher and darker personality, despite the display of feminine and often seemingly childish wiles. She was willing and inclined to use force, violence, extortion methods to gain incentive and money. Obi on the other hand had an intrinsically kind heart, though he showed his kindness in obfuscating ways. All in all, they both had warped personalities in the dark world they are living in and happened to be just more than passing strangers in their line of work. As such, Torou tended to give Obi a little brother treatment despite, their obvious avoidance and ignorance of close relationships.

One thing that she realised was that Obi was loyal to a fault, even when his employers did not treat him well, as long as they were not unsavory, he would protect them even beyond the contract stipulations. More evidently was his care for his partners and colleagues alike, he was practical in his actions which was much more useful in their line of work than mushy care and concern but offered words of encouragement and consolation. Working with him actually made missions much easier, she was after all slightly lower ranked them him, preferring to be the one who does more mingling and errands than assassination.

Obi held a renowned reputation, not needing any partners nor outside information, he was able to cover his job scope thoroughly and efficiently by himself. Obi had the skills of both a professional tracker and assassin, able to play different roles and obtain valuable information while being silent and deadly. He was assigned highly confidential and discreet missions where he just upped like the wind and popped seamlessly back into the guild again. As such, many contractors wanted his expertise and he was forced to partner to the benefit of the guild and therefore their acquaintance.

Torou was partnered with Obi for the assassination of a fief head, putting on her typical flirtatious and innocent act she had him falling head over heels for her. Twining him easily around her little finger, she was feeling relatively pleased yet bored of this mundane and stupid assignment. The man was simply a sight to behold: ruddy faced, ineloquent yet proud and most importantly stingy. Obi was supposed to be her partner but was running late because of his previous assignment to tie up loose ends.

However, what Torou had not expected was the derogatory treatment of women in that particular fief. The debauched head was meant to be kept pristine and untouched of random low-class women (the nerve of them to call her that) sold her out when they were spotted 'flirting'- she was merely patting his arm to entice him into buying her some treats. She ended up being locked up in a cell, getting ready for the gallows the next day. Torou was feeling very indignant about her predicament, she wasn't even caught stealing, something she definitely had a knack for. She wasn't resigned to her impending death but there was little much to do in a surprisingly secure and barren cell with nothing for her to exploit to escape.

She was to be hung by dawn and it was barely noon now. All she could do was to preoccupy herself with formulating plans to get revenge on the bastards who got her thrown in this cell. Sighing in frustration, she laid her back against the cold wall, scoffing at the irony that she was to be hung because of such an unreasonable and hypocritical law while she would proudly proclaim her accomplished thievery.

 _Sigh...she should have just killed him without the charade..._

When she was about to doze of, just before midnight, Obi snuck in having heard of her capture through either his mysterious means or the talk of the town. Stashing his knives and holding out a key, she knew she had incapacitated the guards in someway or another. Quickly, the both of them slipped out of the dungeon without any trouble. Thereafter, they quickly took to their business, assassinating the head without so much a whisper before leaving town.

"Obi, why did you save me? Couldn't resist my impossible charm?" Torou jokingly asked Obi when they were riding back leisurely. Even though saving her was not hard, it was pointless and left unnecessary things to pick up after, and they were assassins after all not heroes or solicitous beings in general. Obi's simple gaze and words, _"You are my sister aren't you?"_ left a warm and unidentifiable feeling in her and the rode home in silence.

The next time she saw Obi he was bleeding with a hideous and gaping wound on his chest, painting and hunching against a tree. Her heart was pounding as his infallible stature crumbled more in front of her. After all, she had been with him on so many missions that injuries was of course a side that she would have observed but none as life threatening as this.

As she watched him stagger away from her after assuring her she was fine with stuttered breaths, she was stunned by that emotionless stare he had. She was honestly a bit hurt by him brushing off her concern. She knew that that was the way things worked with assassins but to think…

Anyways, now that she had met up with Obi again, she had saw a definite change, he definitely have become softer but was still as dangerous as before. He had not lost his touch just that his skills now seemed to be dedicated to only his masters as he termed them. She knew he was still loyal to his acquaintances, his acquiescence to helping her and his timely catch when she fell was a heartfelt reminder of them. She was still rather jealous and intrigued though with how those handsome and pretty people managed to capture his heart so easily when none in the past have managed to do so.

Looking at her retreating back with his new masters, she felt hope in gaining her own family such as his now. She was truly glad for him, honestly but she hoped she would go back some time just for old times sake? She was baffled by the sentiment she held for him, but she understood that they did share a sense of camaraderie that she wanted him to do well. She also knew that his estrangement for them might be permanent in the ends of their job but they would definitely meet again either to tie up loose ends or move on.

 _She will be waiting for him, the guild would as well no matter how many three years it took… He was a welcomed figure after all._


	8. Chapter 8: Hunter

**H** unter

Crouching on a high branch, concealed by the foliage; laying under a bush, hidden by the shrubbery. The two assassins were right under each other's nose, and with the heightened senses they possessed, they were simply waiting for the time when both emerged from their hiding place. Nimbly crawling out of the bushes and lithely jumping down the tree branch, Obi's figure was revealed while the other male's silent laughter wrecked through his imposing figure.

"It's been a long time since our last meeting", the male, Ao stated, when his laughter died down.

"Yeah, and it seems that we are pitted against each other, hunters being the hunted." Obi replied good naturedly with a hint of ruefulness. Ao shook his head as well, acknowledging their unfortunate circumstance…

"However, you always knew that my allegiance isn't always watertight. Furthermore, he's a piece of art alright. If you may, how about helping me out?" Ao chuckled, eyes glinting with mischievous promise.

Obi made a show of contemplating his offer, before finally making an answering grin. Wasn't it killing two birds in one stone, taking down his master's enemy and "his contract", and he would get to keep his life too. Ao, was not a man who could be trifled with, and he had crossed blades with him once that did not end prettily. Height aside, he stood with poise and confidence, and his stature was no less deserving of his assuredness. His was muscled suitably such that he was not bulging, and that made him seem all the more daunting. His muscles were well coordinated with his movements, the simple shift of muscle over bone was an indication of his power. With his overall appearance merely black and muted browns, he cut a imposing figure indeed.

They were good friends however, as good as one could be working in different guilds and all. They had the same mischievous glint in their eyes, no matter how different their eyes were- one golden-green and slitted like a cat's while the other was a ruby red, as piercing as the gaze of an eagle. Evidently they also ran on the same line of thought, they just had this inexplicable sense of fitting with the other.

After sending Zen a missive on the recent development, Obi took to the trees, the "aerial" counterpart to his partner, one of their more prominent differences. Ao took to running over ground while Obi flitted through the trees, after retrieving their mounts, they set to make a deal with the younger brother of Ao's employer.

Through their collective effort in finding intel, they found his brother and head towards the most obscured wing of their family's estate. There they found that the wing was not deserted but in fact stationed with a high number of guards. It seemed more like the imprisonment than a home stay. Sneaking into the place successfully, they did manage to startle the younger brother somewhat but was surprised to see intelligence and also a pleased smile in him.

Ao took the opportunity to switch his employment, expounding the plans that they had in order to overthrow the older brother. Successfully fitting agenda into Obi's own plan, they got to work, quickly dispersing of into the inside of the mansion. Unexpectedly, armed men ran after them, apparently the castle was indeed guarded, the younger had eyes trained on him everywhere. But, no matter, Ao and Obi were acclaimed veteran assassins, those chasing them could very well be chasing their own tails. Rookies, they were, sheltered and fed they would not have the same abilities a them. _Practice did not make experience, experience was practice._

Hiding in the meandering corridors and complex structure of the houses they managed to get into the study room. Immediately they started scouring for the documents mentioned by the younger brother, after conducting a precise and thorough search, their skillful search was rewarded with the nondescript papers which ironically held the power to ruin the older brother, who was holding shady business with pirates and underground connections. What was laughable was however, the downfall of the brother was brought to him by his competence, to get into contact and business which such high ranking underworld lords. His contract with Ao preceded his connections, but it was Ao who orchestrated an attack on him now, and subsequently his "incompetence" will place him at the precarious edge of dealing which such powerful men.

Anyways, without them, Obi has already sent word for Zen to take action, what they were doing here was just a threat, to throw the older brother off his balance. Now, all they needed to do was to wait for him to finally find them. They would continue to wreak havoc in his household, doing what for them were games. They would file him up, instill fear and uncertainty in him all the while, hiding just underneath his nose.

They did this consecutively for three days, they could have kept it up longer but they had no need to anyways, Zen and the relevant people will be coming over soon. They also had to ensure the protection of the younger brother. It was actually rather tiring. When, Zen arrived, the King, Izana Wisteria was also present. Sweeping into the mansion with his regal presence and his cutting eyes, he shifted the whole atmosphere immediately. Izana India act was able to placate the underworld lords, in whatever way, Obi was unable to tell, however, he knew that the King was a frightening man to go against, in fact he was the ultimate hunter in this game. In fact now that he thought about it, despite the high number of guards at the younger brother's residence, some of them remained oblivious to their presence almost obstinately. In fact, the younger brother would have held a higher chance of being killed off immediately after the first day, if not for his own guards protecting him, a large number at that.

 _Checkmate. When the King steps out,to think that the war has begun is foolish, for he has already won._ To be impressed would be an understatement of Izana's intelligence. Obi wondered what would it be like to play chess with him, before reconsidering that thought, being hunted is not that fun after all.

At the end of it all, the younger brother took the reins with Ao as his current personal bodyguard, he had received an impressive pay and was actually interested to see the development of the younger brother. Obi and Ao after all had very good judgement, seeing potential was what they did best. Perhaps, they would meet up more frequently at more casual instances.

Clasping at each others' forearms, they bid a hearty farewell, "drinks, the next time, my legs are sore already".

Obi returned to his master, animatedly telling his tale, daring even to laud the King and exclaiming loudly that he wanted to partake in a drink afterwards...


	9. Chapter 9: Imbibe

**I** mbibe

If Obi was said to have a vice, the most obvious one would be his fondness of alcohol. Fine wine and hard liquor, he had a fine appetite for both. Contrary to the expectation that he was already desensitized to the delicate flavors, his tongue was just as sensitive if not sharper to taste. None of the alcohol tasted the same to him, his tongue was none duller by his 'overindulgence' in alcohol. Instead, he was able to appreciate the simple brew to the saccharine wines and scorching liquor.

Each one held a different tale of the venue or origin of the partaking of alcohol. The uneventful passing of a nondescript village, the bittersweet numbing of pain when he was treated for severe wounds. And in particular, the elegant and sweet alcohol that he was now pampered on by his master and aides. The alcohol not only more savory because of their fine produce but the companionship that came with it.

Obi has built up a very high or one could say perfect tolerance of alcohol with exception to the rice brew he first had as a child. Perhaps being conditioned by his caretaker, he had a cup of that before he slept, and that resulted in the drowsiness every time he partook in drinking that drink. Unsurprisingly, his master was able to procure that particular brew even though he did not even remember which fief did that drink even originate from. With a hearty appetite and a merry atmosphere with their reunion (after being posted with different tasks), Obi once again came across this peculiar drink.

The feeling of nostalgia, the flashes of a vague memory, the phantom caresses and light touches invading his present senses. And with that feeling of safety, further amplified his current company's merrymaking- the jokes, jibes and flustered reactions as they poked and prodded each other lulled him into a light doze.

With a sleepy and almost dopey grin that unknowingly crept across his face, he observed his companions antics with half-hooded eyes, slowly slipping shut. His mind playing the images of his current companions with the after-lingering effects of his memories. He was one with the party, off in his own dreamland.

To say that his companions were surprised would be an overstatement, they had noticed the start of an interesting and maybe unexpected turn of events as they observed Obi's tentative 'foray' into the taste of the rice brew. Catching on that this alcohol might hold a special meaning to him, they saw him get more and more drowsy, they smiled in secret as well, chuckling at his uncharacteristic behaviour as he slipped into a blissful sleep. Shirayuki and Zen got up to arrange his lanky limbs into a more comfortable position, leaving him to his dream and a they continued their enthusiastic chatter.

Apparently there were alcohol that could knock Obi out as well, just not in the conventional sense. Zen would argue if there was even a conventional bone in Obi, Ashe observed his friend's slumber from the side of his eyes intermittently, just as any other was.

It would be amusing to hear Obi's whining tomorrow as he bemoaned the fact that he missed the party, particularly the bit where he got to tease Zen. Then, the regular turn of events would then occur again where Zen's 'wrath' would be incurred and they would get into a mock fight and Shirayuki will step in…


End file.
